They will forever hold my respect and gratitude

A son, still grieving for his mother, now faces a future without his father. Still, this family member is most grateful for the care his father has received at VGH.

Here, he explains why …

“I needed to write you this message regarding the care my father has received during his stay here. My father has been a patient here at VGH for over a month now, I have been here every day and for many hours each visit. I cannot express how grateful I am for the service we have received!

Last Christmas (2013) my mother celebrated her victory over a very difficult breast cancer. On March 2nd 2013 she passed away, victim to another more aggressive cancer affecting her liver and kidneys. A difficult year for my father and I as we adjusted to a life without my mother. My father retired and of course fell victim to follicular lymphoma. He will pass away in a few days at the age of 68. The pain of this has hit my entire family profusely however the entire time we have been here my father was kept in the best of spirits by fantastic, compassionate and attentive staff. He has faced these last days with peace, respect, gratitude and as much comfort and concern as could be afforded.

I understand that far too often the only people that take the time to write letters are the ones who feel slighted or only have negative words to express. It is my hope that this letter counteracts hundreds of those negative sentiments. In emerg we had so many fantastic doctors and nurses helping us, right from an amazingly helpful Australian lady who helped admit us, to a beautiful emerg doctor named Miriam who showed extreme concern for my dads well being. From emerg we moved to acute medicine 10H. While here my dad received the best care possible, Dr. Nagi and his team, nurses like Chantelle, Brittany, Sarah, Rebecca, specialists from hematology, urology, nephrology, all of these people exemplify the best attributes of a proficient, loving and attentive healthcare system. I really cannot emphasize how many times all of these individuals showed compassion and concern for my father. During this difficult time for my family, my father would constantly comment on how great the staff was, and when his condition deteriorated past the point of any proactive interventions, the care transitioned to the best palliative care my father could receive and consequently allowed me to go home every night with the peace of mind that my father was in the presence of friendly and loving people. I apologize I do not remember more names, there are so many others that warrant formal attention and recognition for their services. Please look into my father’s file, note the name of each doctor, if possible each person, that provided for his care, and attach this commendation to their permanent file. It is my hope you can recognize these people in a more formal and permanent way than I can.

They will forever hold my respect and gratitude.”